Bhavnagar:
A Navratri event at a resort in Gujarat was disrupted on Tuesday after members of Hindu groups entered its premises and staged a demonstration demanding the removal of Aslam and Aslam Band, a musical ensemble that has traditionally performed at the venue for years.
The incident was reported from the Rangoli Resort in Vartej in Bhavnagar.
Prior to the event, representatives from Hindu Yuva Sangathan and the International Parishad had submitted petitions to the local police station and the district collector, attempting to pressure organisers into replacing the long-serving band based strictly on the artists' background.
Despite local authorities choosing not to intervene in the private venue's programming, group members led by the Hindu Yuva Sangathan city president arrived at the resort grounds to forcefully disrupt the celebrations. The protest escalated as group members created a commotion on site.
Chaos soon ensued and triggered action from the Vartej police, with cops reaching the spot and detaining several demonstrators to maintain public order. Police identified one Anjani Santosh among those detained.
Even while held in police preventive detention, representatives from the organisation continued to issue warnings to event organisers and municipal authorities. They threatened to bring larger crowds to forcibly shut down the musical performance if their demands were not met.
Police will provide security to the Navratri event from today, Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police Nitesh Pandey said.
"Last night a dispute broke out at the Rangoli Resort in Vartej concerning a Navratri event. Activists from the Hindu Yuva Sangh and the International Council gathered at the Rangoli Resort Navratri program and demanded that the "Aslam & Aslam Band", which had been performing at the Rangoli Navratri Festival for some time, be removed and replaced with Hindu artists or a band," he told NDTV.
Further legal proceedings are underway.